Lumber-filer



(No Model.) v 4 Sheets-Sheet 1. I

M. DOWNEY, Jr. LUMBER FILER.

Patented Sept 2 t e e h W e e h s 4 L J- H Y M R W 0 M D ..L M

(No Model.)

No. 435,738. Patented Sept. 2, 1890.

(No Model 4 Sheets-Sheet. 3. M. DOWNEY, Jr. LUMBER FILER.

No. 435,738. Patented Sept. 2, 1890.

J ..0/VZ.Z.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model.)

M. DOWNBY, Jr. LUMBER PILBR.

,73 (1 Sept. 2. 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAURICE DOXVNEY, JR, OF MONTAGUE, MICHIGAN.

LUMBER-PILER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 435,738, datedSeptember 2, 1890.

Application filed January 11,1890- Serial No. 336,690. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MAURICE DOWNEY, Jr., a citizen of the United States,residing at Montague, in the county of Muskegon and State of Michigan,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Luniber-Pilers; andI declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked illereon,which form a part of this specifica- The invention relates toimprovements in machines to elevate lumber for the purpose of piling orstacking the same, the object being to provide means whereby the lumbermay be raised quickly and with little labor to the desired height; andit consists in the construction and novel combination of partshereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, andpointed out in the claims hereto appended.

The particular kind of lumber which the invention is intended to elevateis planing or boarding, which by its means is quickly and easily builtinto the piles in which the same is stored in lumber-yards.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of referencedesignate corresponding parts, Figure 1 represents an end elevation of alumber-piler embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view of themast and supporting-bar partly in section. Fig. 3 is a plan View of thesupporting-bar. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the invention. Fig. 5represents a side view of a modification of the machine. Fig. 6 is aview of the same, partly sectional, on the line ,2 z of Fig. 4. Fig. 7represents a central vertical section of said modification out fromfront to rear. Fig.8 is a plan view thereof, one-half being in sectionon the line 00 w of Fig. 7.

Referring to the drawings by letter,A designates the supporting-carriageof the machine, rectangular in shape, having a suitable tongue attachedto its front and supported at its corners upon the caster-wheels. Thecaster-wheels a a at the rear corners of the carriage are journaled inbifurcated brackets a a, rigidly secured to the carriage, while thecaster-wheels a a at the front corners of the carriage are journaled inthe bifurcated lower ends of short vertical shafts a a journaled in theupper and lower horizontal plates of brackets on a, rigidly secured tothe carriage, a circumferential shoulder on each of said shafts bearingagainst the lower surface of the lower plate of the bracket, while a pinpasses through a perforation in said shaft above the upper plate toprevent the shaft from falling out of place. By means of these frontcaster-wheels, which can turn with their shafts laterally, the carriagecan be easily turned to one side or the other.

B designates a vertical mast rising to a suitable height from the floorof the carriage, a short distance from the front thereof, and Z) Z) arebrace-bars secured at their upper ends to a cap fitted upon the top ofsaid mast, and extending thence to the respective rear corners of thecarriage-floor, to which they are secured.

C designates a pair of lazy-tongs in front of the mast, composed ofcentrally pivoted crossing-levers in the usual manner,but with thehighest pair 0 of said levers having only lower arms connected at theirupper ends by the pivotal pin or bolt 0, as shown.

D is a transverse supporting-bar, preferably of cast metal, and having acentral vertical sleeve (I, mounted and adapted to slide 011 the mast B,and provided with a bearing on its front, in which the adjacentprojecting end of the bolt 0' is journaled or swiveled in such a mannerthat it cannot escape from its bearings. The ends of the supporting-barare bent frontward horizontally at right angles for a short distance,and are then bent vertically upward to form the fingers d d, betweenwhich and the front of the sleeve (1 a plank X or similar piece oflumber can be inserted and securely held edgewise, as shown in Fig. 1.The lower ends of the lowest pair of levers of the lazy-tongs arepivoted to the oppositely-inclined levers E E, respectively, at or nearthe lower ends thereof, the upper ends of said levers being pivoted on atransverse shaft F journaled in bearings secured to or formed upon thesides of the carriage.

ff are counterbalancing-weights attached to the lower ends of thelowest'pair of the levers of the lazy-tongs, which weights render theextension of the lazy-tongs less laborious and cause them to closewithout jar.

H is a transverse shaft having its ends journaled in bearings secured toor formed in the sides of the carriage a suitable distance below thelazy-tongs and levers E E, and having fixed upon it the adjoiningpulleys G G, of different diameters, which pulleys are prevented fromshifting laterally by suitable collars firmly secured upon the saidshaft on each side of the said pulleys, which are preferably integral.The said pulleys are pivoted with outstanding flanges .on each side. Thepulley G, of less diameter, is connected by a rope g with the lower endof the lever E, which extends no farther outward than the lazytongslever to which it is attached, and the pulley G, of larger diameter, isconnected by the rope g to the end of an extension e of the lever Eoutward from the lower end of the corresponding lazy-tongs lever, thesaid ropes being wound in the same direction on the respective pulleys.The extension e causes the lever E to be sufficiently longer than thelever E to compensate for the greater diameter of the pulley G, so thatwhen the ropes are wound 'on their respective pulleys the said leverswill pass over equal angular distances, though the end of the lever Ewill travel farther than the end of the lever E. Chains may besubstituted for the ropes g g, and chainwheels for the pulleys G G.

Upon one end of the shaft H, extended outside of the bearings, issecured the pulley I, having outstanding flanges on each side,whichpulley is prevented from shifting laterally by collars fixed on the saidshaft on each side thereof. 7

J is a lever-handle, having its lower end attached to theoutwardly-extended end of a transverse shaft j, journaled in bearings onthe sides of the carriage and provided with a longitudinal series ofadjusting openings j j, and K is a hook the bifurcated eye of which maystraddle the edge of said lever and be engaged over one of said openingsby a suitable pivotal pin, as shown.

k is a rope, having its inner end secured to the rim of the pulleyI andits outer end looped or otherwise attached to the hook K. When the leveris depressed, the rope in unwinds from the pulley I, and thereby Windsthe ropes g g on the pulleys G G, drawing together the levers E E, andthereby extending the lazytongs. By attaching the hook K in openings jnearer the outer end of the lever-handle J the lazy-ton gs will befarther extended for the same angular distance of travel of saidlever-handle.

In operation, a person on the ground who operates the lever -handleplaces the planks on the supporting-bar and extends the lazytongs, whilea person on the pile removes the planks and adds them to the pile.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5, 6, '7,

two levers E.

and S the mast is dispensed with and two pairs of lazy-tongs are used,one on-each side of the carriage. There are two sets of pulleys G G,mounted on the shaft H, two sets of levers E E, and consequently twosets of ropes g g, connecting said levers with the correspondingpulleys;'also, the ends of the lower arms of the lowest set ofcross-levers of the opposite lazy-tongs are connected by trans versebars L, upon which the counterbalancing-weights f f are centrallymounted. A similar bar Z connects the lower ends of the By means of thesaid rods L Z the simultaneous and equal action of the lazytongs on eachside is secured, and they will also be braced by said rods. The highestconnecting pivotal bolt of the lazy-tongs may have a supporting-platformor board M attached thereto upon which to rest the planks to be raised,or a modification of the described supporting-bar without the centralsleeve may be attached to said bolt.

N N are guide-bars secured to and depending from the highest pivotalbolt of the opposite lazy-tongs. The said bars are bifurcated and rideupon a certain number of pivotal bolts below the highest, therebypreventing the upper parts of the lazy-tongs from inclining frontward orbackward under the weight of the planks being raised.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s

1. The combination, with the lazy-tongs and a support attached to thetop thereof, of a transverse shaft journaled in the sides of thecarriage, the opposite levers of unequal length having their upper endspivoted on said shaft and then pivoted to the lower arms of the lowestcross-levers of the lazy-tongs at or near their lower ends, anothertransverse shaft journaled in the sides of the carriage a sufficientdistance below the lever-shaft, the pulleys of unequal diameter mountedon said lower shaft, the ropes connecting the lower ends of the leverswith the corresponding pulleys, the pulley mounted on the extended endof the lower transverse shaft, the pivoted lever-handle, and the ropeconnecting said le-" ver-handle and the pulley on the extended end ofthe lower transverse shaft, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the carriage, the mast rising therefrom, thelazy-tongs adjacent to the mast, the supporting-bar secured to. the topof the lazy-tongs and provided with a central sleeve mounted on the mastand having its ends bent outward and then upward to formsupporting-fingers, and the mechanism, substantially as shown anddescribed, whereby said lazy-ton gs may be extended and closed, asspecified.

3; The combination, with the carriage, the mast rising therefrom, thelazy-tongs and the supporting-bar secured to the top of the lazyton gs,of the transverse shaft journaled in the sides of the carriage, theopposite levers of unequal length pivoted at their upper ends on saidshaft and at or near their lower ends to the ends of the lower arms ofthe lowest pair of cross-levers of the lazy-tongs, another transverseshaft journaled in the sides of the carriage below the lever-shaft, thetwo pulleys of unequal diameter mounted on said lower shaft, the ropesconnecting the lower ends of the corresponding levers with said pulleys,the longer and shorter levers being so connected with the pulleys ofgreater and less diameters, the pivoted lever-handle, and the ropeconnecting the said handle with a pulley on the extended end of thepulley-bearing shaft, substantially as specified.

4. The combination, with the carriage, the mast rising therefrom, thelazy-tongs adjacent to the mast, and the supporting-bar having a centralsleeve mounted on the mast and attached to the top of the lazy-tongs, ofthe counterbalancing-weights attached to the lowest arms of the lowestpair of cross-levers of the lazy-tongs, and mechanism, substantially asdescribed, whereby said lazy-tongs can be extended and closed,substantially as specified.

5. The combination, with the carriage, the mast rising therefrom, thelazy-tongs, and the supporting-bar attached to the lazy-tongs and havinga sleeve mounted on the mast, of the counterbalancing-weights on thelower ends of the lazy-tongs, the levers connected to said lower ends,the pulleys connected to said levers by ropes, the lever-handle providedwith a longitudinal series of adjusting openings, and the rope arrangedto have its outer end attached to any one of said openings and its innerend attached to a pulley on the pulleybearing shaft, substantially asshown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MAURICE DOWNEY, JR.

\Vitnesses:

FRANK BRACELIN, RICHARD DOWNEY.

